Every year, on the same day, another one appeared: a black dahlia.

She had almost run out of space to put them around her villa.

Each year the perennials re-sprouted, a forest of dark bloomage that shrouded her white walls.

The shadow they cast she could not escape. The blackness in her heart was embodied in their display. She kept them as a reminder.

Someone knew what she had done.

She opened the door and saw the new arrival. This one was red, the same colour as the blood on her hands.

The gunshot echoed around the white walls.


ceayr-3
Copyright CE Ayr

Written as part of the Friday Fictioneers challenge hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (more details HERE). The idea is to write a short story of 100 words based on the photo prompt (above).

To read stories of 100 words based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.


My first novel, ‘A Justified State,’ is available now
‘a first class read from start to finish’ – reader review
Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk / Book Depository
Amazon.in / Amazon.au / Amazon.ca

96 responses to “RECOMPENSE”

  1. neilmacdon Avatar

    I love the device of strange knowing gifts

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar
  2. larry trasciatti Avatar

    All it takes is one plum unwelcome symbol to trigger an equally unwelcome flashback~

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks Larry

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Tannille Avatar

    It reminds me of “I Know What You Did Last Summer”.
    Great concept here.

    Liked by 1 person

  4. pensitivity101 Avatar

    Great post Iain.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you Di

      Like

  5. Enkin Anthem Avatar

    Awesome. No matter what she’s done, it must be hell to live like that, in the shadow of consequences yet to come. Perhaps she was relieved that this flower was red.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Interesting that it may have been a relief to her, I like that reading of it, thank you 🙂

      Like

  6. Colline Avatar

    Sounds like someone got their revenge!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      After a long wait, must be a patient person 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  7. rochellewisoff Avatar

    Dear Iain,

    Great use of color in this piece. Hmm…is it the source of the photo that sends us in a homicidal direction?

    Shalom,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Yes, it most definitely is! 🙂

      Like

  8. Keith's Ramblings Avatar

    There’s usually someone who knows. A well-executed tale Iain.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      There’s always one. Thanks Keith.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. J Hardy Carroll Avatar

    Creepy story! The Black Dahlia is still unsolved, too.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Yep, James Ellroy fan here, and just got his new book to read too.

      Like

  10. ceayr Avatar

    Intriguing piece, Iain.
    Guess she was a bad lady.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      She must have done something. I didn’t like to ask.

      Like

  11. Sadje Avatar

    Ooh! This is chilling. 😱

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you, that was the intention!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Sadje Avatar

        👍👌

        Liked by 1 person

  12. Sandra Avatar

    Sounds like she finally snapped. Assuming of course that she shot herself and wasn’t polished off by her stalker.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Could be taken either way.

      Like

  13. Na'ama Yehuda Avatar

    Oh no …
    No more black dahlias in THIS location but I have me a feeling they’ll begin arriving at another’s place …

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Could be a serial offender, you think? Maybe!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Na'ama Yehuda Avatar

        I donnow, but I don’t like them, whomever they are …

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Iain Kelly Avatar

        They certainly have a violent streak

        Liked by 1 person

  14. neeltheauthor- author of WHEN LIFE THROWS THOSE CURVE BALLS Avatar

    The end could go either ways. Loved this, Kelly

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you so much Neel

      Like

  15. pennygadd51 Avatar

    Good plot, with an intriguingly ambiguous ending. Did the messenger shoot her for revenge? – your title suggests so. Or she could have shot herself through guilt; that too fits the title. Or maybe she shot the messenger, to get him to stop messing with colour scheme of her garden!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Ha, true angry at the red flower! 🙂 Thanks Penny

      Like

  16. notestowomen Avatar

    Reads like a film noir, Iain. Great use of colors.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you so much

      Like

  17. aheartforafrica641064503 Avatar
    aheartforafrica641064503

    Great story, Iain, with an ambiguous ending.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you so much

      Like

  18. Russell Gayer Avatar

    You’ve given us plenty of room to surmise our own conclusions. Well done, Iain.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you Russell

      Like

  19. Liz Young Avatar

    I would thik after all those years of dread the shot will have come as a relief. Great story.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      It may well have done. Thanks Liz

      Like

  20. theministryofshrawleywalks Avatar

    Iain, really great stuff, she’s being watched by someone, love it

    Liked by 1 person

  21. DB McNicol Avatar

    Revenge or suicide…either way the story is great!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you DB, I will let you decide the ending 🙂

      Like

  22. BarbCT Avatar

    Such an interesting tale, Ian. I love the ambiguous ending.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you so much

      Like

  23. Sandra Conner Avatar

    Well, this one really makes us think: I’m still trying to figure out if I like it better thinking she killed herself or thinking the bearer of the red dahlia did her in. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you Sandra 🙂

      Like

  24. Sascha Darlington Avatar

    Well done. I think the red dahlia made her snap.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you Sascha

      Liked by 1 person

  25. plaridel Avatar

    it looks like karma has finally caught up with her.

    Liked by 1 person

  26. draliman Avatar

    Does Nature know what she did, or did feelings of guilt finally get the better of her? Nice one!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you – could be many ways this ended.

      Liked by 1 person

  27. patriciaruthsusan Avatar

    She must have been afraid for ages. It seems she had a right to be. A good mystery thriller, Iain. Well written. —- Suzanne

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you Suzanne

      Like

  28. Woman walking Max Avatar

    Beautifully plotted, with the slow reveal that these flowers are like ravens, signifying doom not pretty floral gifts. Well done.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you so much

      Like

  29. Abhijit Avatar

    You reap what you sow. At last she had got her due in a red dahlia.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      It seems like it. Thank you

      Like

  30. Brenda's Thoughts Avatar

    I love this one! Great tension and use of color. Someone very patiently tormented her until their revenge was meted out.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you Brenda 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  31. granonine Avatar

    Blood on her hands, finally revenged. The killer was a patient stalker. Great tension here.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you Linda. Being patient is a good skill for a stalker to have.

      Liked by 1 person

  32. Nobbinmaug Avatar

    Damn, that’s a long game for revenge. Well played.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Revenge is best served that way 😉

      Liked by 1 person

  33. Inside the Mind of Isadora Avatar

    Such a pretty home with dark secrets in and out.
    I found it intriguing enough to want to continue reading, Iain.
    Isadora 😎

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you so much

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks Dawn, I assuming it’s a good ‘wow’!

      Liked by 1 person

  34. Dale Avatar

    And yet, you seem like such a mild-mannered man… this is a dark side of you!
    And funny, I watched the series “I Am the Night” just a couple months about the Black Dahlia…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks Dale. I’m a firm believer that everyone has a dark side lurking there – in general, the nicer someone seems, the darker their dark side will be! 😉

      Liked by 1 person

  35. JoHawkTheWriter Avatar

    Here’s to skeletons in the closet. They will get you one way or another. 🙂👍

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      They make for good stories too!

      Liked by 1 person

  36. Laurie Bell Avatar

    Oooooo someone knows the truth. Well told and very creepy with mysterious gifts appearing

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks Laurie

      Like

  37. James McEwan Avatar

    There is a terrible sense of torment in this, revenge delivered in a slow drip – not knowing exactly when. Hellish. I liked the tension.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you James, hope the new book is going well.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. James McEwan Avatar

        Thanks Iain, slow start with the book, still trying solve the market hype.

        Liked by 1 person

  38. Margaret Avatar

    The anonymous flower giver certainly wanted to prolong her suffering, with all those black dahlias. A very original idea, and a gripping story. Like other commenters, I love the ambiguity of the ending.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you so much Margaret 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  39. Rowena Avatar

    Well done, Iain. Beautifully written and you used the image of the black dahlia to great effect.
    Best wishes,
    Rowena

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you Rowena

      Like

  40. magarisa Avatar

    Powerful imagery in this “bite-sized” thriller!

    Liked by 1 person

  41. gahlearner Avatar
    gahlearner

    Given the title, I think she shot herself. Grisly tale, full of mystery and symbolism.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you – seems to be a 50/50 split on what may have happened in the end!

      Liked by 1 person

  42. Fatima Fakier Avatar

    Clicked the like button after the first line. Brilliant story, Iain. Justice was self-served in the end.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thank you so much Fatima 🙂

      Like

  43. Kalpana Solsi Avatar

    Nature has a way of reminding her of her black/dark deeds. what goes around comes around.

    https://ideasolsi65.blogspot.com/2019/06/property.html

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      There’s no escaping your past. Thank you

      Like

  44. subroto Avatar

    Probably dusting off the old revolver and practicing her shooting skills. Someone’s identity best remain a secret.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Iain Kelly Avatar

      Thanks for reading

      Like

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.